The last 3 months I have hunted eastern NC, NWestern NC & eastern TN with the same group of guys. (good ole mtn. folk). Out of 28 bears killed - 6 were well over 350#s and all were DTR with all 30-30 win. lever guns. 1 gun was 450 marlin & 1 with 308.. All were killed in front of dogs. All shots were from 5 feet to 12 yards in thickets. These men sware by 30-30s.

Well, I have not shot a bear yet. I tracked one to its den in the snow once when I was young but felt protective of it since most of the bears where I grew up had been wiped out. Now days I would really like to hunt them. I have been fortunate in that I have been able to pass on hunting to at least one of my grandsons. He is hooked to his core, I am proud to say, and I also passed on to him my Remington 760 in .35 Whelen to help him along the way. I kept my Ithaca DeerSlayer III with its heavy fully rifled bull barrel. I like full bore Dixie Terminator slugs; which makes it sort of a big pump rifle firing a .730"-730 gr hard cast heat treated bullet at 1300 fps out of its 24” barrel. It also will be my hunting grandson’s when I am gone so he can hunt those giant Pennsylvania black bears where he lives with either of his grandfathers old guns.

They don't allow hunting over bait there but he will put them to good use I am sure.

I wish I could find some people out here in California that like to hunt bears. Then my DeerSlayer III could become a BearSlayer but I am plan to go it alone this coming season, 2013.

This spring season I will be using a 500 Weatherby and a 500 A Square. I will be shooting 310 to 330 grain Cutting Edge brass bullets that have been modified with large hollow points and tips installed. Velocity will be 3300 to 3400 fps. Ross